Advice for My 10-Year-Old Self
I’m cutting carbs right now, which means my blood glucose is low and I’m extra ornery. Perfect time to write down the advice I’d give to my 10-year-old self.
When I was a kid, I was naïve enough to believe the classic “American Dream Paradigm.’’ You stay in school, work hard, and get a good job. Then you keep working hard, move up the ranks, and before long, you’ve got it made. Of course, that story is a complete lie. Everyone was blowing smoke up my ass.
Here’s what they should have said: If all you want to do is train and play sports, then do it. If you want to play the guitar, then buy one now, play it every day, and don’t stop for the rest of your life. Spend every waking hour doing the things you love – because as soon as you stop, you’ll have to get a job and it’s probably going to be something you don’t like.
Your mission is not to “get a job.’’ Your mission is to never get a job. Your mission is to make a living doing the things you love.
Getting a job will never make you happy. What will make you happy is living your dreams. So, spend all your time pursuing your dreams with all of your might. That way, your work will align with your objectives, and you will find it meaningful and fulfilling. Do not get sidetracked by ‘’jobs.’’ Spend as little time on them as you possibly can.
Do not listen to ANYBODY about what you should do with your life – not your parents, coaches, teachers, friends. NOBODY. NO EXCEPTIONS. You alone decide who you want to be and what you want to be. Other people’s opinions are irrelevant.
ESPECIALLY do not listen to anyone who tells you to “get a real job.” Those people are frustrated chumps who hate their job and hate their life and are trying to bring you down with them. They are literally the last people in the world you should take career advice from. Only take advice from people who have already done what you want to do.
There are plenty of people who will tell you what you should and shouldn’t do with your life. Their opinions aren’t worth their weight in shit.
Stay in school as long as you can do so for free or for little money. If you have to go into debt to stay in school, then don’t do it. Student loan debt will be a yoke around your neck before you even have a chance to get started in your career and life.
Have an ownership interest in every project you work on. If you don’t own at least part of the company, your time is better spent doing something else. Taking a job for a company you don’t own is a last resort. If you have to take a job to make ends meet, good. Remember how much you hate the job, and use that as motivation to keep building something for yourself so you never need another job again.
The American Dream is not to ‘’get a job.’’ The American Dream is to never need a job because you’re able to make a living doing what you love. Anyone who says otherwise is lying to you and doesn’t want you to be better off than they are.
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